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Last night I was out for dinner at a restaurant with the reputation of great and amazing food. It was packed with people and they all looked quite happy and satisfied to be there.

As I always do in a new restaurant, I scan the menu to see if the chef knows how to create a menu that gives him the reputation of great and still be healthy. Most chefs get carried away with the creation of an array of tastes, which then also means more ingredients. That in itself is not unhealthy. What this however also often seems to mean is adding bulk. And bulk tends to come in the form of a starchy carbohydrate such as pasta, potato, or rice. I believe this is a very important point to health that we have not yet grasped in America. Food combining.

As busy as the restaurant was, I was still able to alter my dish, as I wanted it. Granted it often means spending a little more money on a side dish, if the restaurant is not willing to substitute. What was most amusing to me was that everyone around me asked which dish I was having. It looked so good to them they wanted it too. They either wanted to order the same or were confused they had not seen it on the menu when making their selection. I pointed out I had chosen the local fresh fish, omitting the gnocchi and added cooked leafy collard greens instead, which I had seen was in another dish. The response was that was why they had not chosen that dish, the gnocchi.

To me, a menu is a list of available ingredients with the chef suggesting how to put them together in tasty dishes.